Bobby Donnell to the Rescue
by Luiz4200
Summary: Marked as Boston legal because I couldn't find The Practice among the TV shows list. It's based on The Practice episode Police State. What if Bobby Donnell defended Todd Beck?


**Disclaimer: I don't own The Practice or any character from the series. This fic is my way to express my disappointment with episode Police State.**

**Bobby Donnell to the Rescue**

"I'm sorry, Mr. Young." The judge sadly replied. "But I have to agree with Mr. Walsh. Your firm already represented Joe Moran on that account. You can't represent Todd Beck and neither can any other lawyer from that firm."

"Not a problem, You Honor." Somebody replied. "I'll take over."

"Identify yourself." The judge ordered.

A bearded man approached the stand. "My name is Bobby Donnell, You Honor."

"He can't represent Beck, You Honor." Walsh replied. "He's a senior partner of the firm that represented Joe Moran."

"My former partnership to the law firm currently known as Young, Fruit and Berlutti ended several months before the crime took place." Bobby explained. "I'm not bound by whatever conflicts of interest might be preventing Eugene Young or any other lawyer from his firm from defending Todd Beck."

"Do you confirm it under penalty of perjury, Mr. Donnell?" The judge asked.

"Yes, You Honor." Bobby replied.

"In that case you may proceed." The judge replied.

"Thank you, You Honor." Bobby said. "First of all, I'd like to move to have Kenneth Walsh removed from the case due to his friendship to the victim and to have him arrested for coercing a witness."

"Mr. Walsh, were you friends with the victim?" The judge asked with a glare.

Walsh saw no point at lying to the judge. "Yes, You Honor."

"In that case, Mr. Donnell, I'll grant your first request." The judge said. "As for your second one, however, we've already established Joe Moran wasn't coerced."

"I wasn't talking about that witness, You Honor." Bobby explained.

"Were you talking about one of the police officers who arrested your client, Mr. Donne?" The judge asked, confused.

"I was talking about my client, who was coerced into giving a statement against Joe Moran, You Honor." Bobby replied.

"Beck isn't a witness, he's the defendant!" Walsh yelled.

"Be quiet, Mr. Walsh!" The judge demanded. "This case is no longer yours! And Mr. Donnell, I'm afraid there's no law against forcing a defendant to testify against another one." (Sorry if I got it wrong)

"My client still wasn't a defendant when he testified against Joe Moran, You Honor." Bobby explained.

"You're right!" The judge happily exclaimed. "Mr. Walsh, you're under arrest for coercing a witness. Bailiff, take him away."

"You can't do this to me, You Honor!" Walsh angrily replied. "I have immunities as a prosecutor!"

"Save it for your preliminary hearing, Walsh." The judge harshly said.

Later, at Todd Beck's cell, Bobby Donnell is meeting him. "Todd, I came to your help to stop Walsh from abusing his power but I need to know: Did you kill the cop?"

"No, Mr. Donnell." Todd Beck answered.

"Then why did you run?"

"I was afraid the cops would blame me anyway." Todd explained. "My skin is darker than Joe's."

"Well, in that case I think I have a plan."

A few days later, Joe Moran went to the offices of Young, Fruit and Barletta desperate for help.

"What's wrong, Joe?" Jimmy asked and Joe Moran shown him a court order requiring him to have his hands checked for gunpowder residuals. "How can they do this to me? I've got immunity."

"Your immunity can be removed if the statement you gave in exchange for it is proven to be a lie." Jimmy explained. "Is there any chances they'll find residuals on your hands?"

"Is everything I say to you protected by the attorney-client privilege?" Moran asked.

"As long as it's in private." Jimmy answered and Moran admitted to be the one who shot the cop.

"In that case, I'm afraid you might have a problem." Jimmy said.

"But I've got immunity." Joe explained.

"An immunity that can be removed if the testimony given for it is proven to be false." Jimmy replied.

"But Walsh didn't ask for the truth." Joe said. "He asked me to say I saw Todd Beck shooting the cop."

"Either way it can be nullified." Jimmy replied. "But don't worry. We'll think at something."

After both defendants' hands were checked, Todd Beck was proven innocent, much to Walsh's surprise, and Joe Moran was shown to have gunpowder residuals. Helen Gamble, who took over after Walsh's arrest, dropped the charges against Todd Beck and pressed charges against Joe Moran.

"Since the statement given for the immunity was proven to be false, the immunity has no legal value." The judge declared. "The defendant can be tried."

"You Honor, the defense moves to have the evidence against my client excluded." Jimmy said. "The evidence was only obtained because Todd Beck was forced to testify against my client."

"Joe Moran had been spotted by several cops at the crime scene." Helen Gamble replied. "We didn't need Mr. Beck's testimony to suspect Mr. Moran."

"I have to agree with Ms. Gamble on that, Mr. Berlutti." The judge said. "The evidence is admissible."

After a long negotiation, Helen Gamble, Jimmy Berlutti and Joe Moran agreed on a twenty-eight-year sentence. On behalf of the force, a cop apologized to Todd beck in public for the torture. Kenneth Walsh got another suspension for his misconduct.

**THE END**

**Did you like it?**


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